This topic is all about initiative.
As a supervisor, parent, counselor, teacher- any role that includes leading others- initiative is one of- perhaps the most- difficult aspect of human behavior to cope with.
In the broadest sense, initiative means the efforts that people take to do what needs to be done entirely on their own. It can also mean things that people do above and beyond ‘what needs to be done’.
For example in your camp job, “what needs to be done” are all those things that fall under the counselor’s job responsibilities. At summer camp, that list is actually pretty vast, with the two biggest parts being:
- Take care of the kids. That alone is a huge job… watch them, feed them, make sure they get dressed, interact with them, put them to bed, talk to them, deal with their problems, make sure they get their meds, engage them, redirect them, help them, keep them safe.
- Take care of the physical bunk, and/or area. Not as big a job, but often the harder one to accomplish…. keep the kids stuff off the floor. Take the laundry out. Clean up trash. Turn the lights off.
Initiative is another one of those tricky human conditions, because, kind of like motivation, it seems to run counter to what would make our lives easier. Simply put, People generally don’t like being told what to do (especially repeatedly, that’s called nagging) but they also often don’t do things until they are told to.
There are many, many layers to this aspect of our human-ness. How we feel about being told what to do depends a lot upon:
Who is telling us what to do? Are they someone we perceive as a boss or a leader? Someone we feel has more knowledge than us? If someone is empowered to tell us what to do, we are more likely to do what they say- but not necessarily enjoy doing it. That comes down to respect and our belief in the value they have to offer us;
How much buy-in do we have towards the person or entity telling us what to do? We will work much harder for those people, teams, or efforts that we value personally, respect, and desire to look at us in a positive light;
How are we being told what to do? While people respond differently to different types of leadership, most people show more initiative when they feel respected and valued from the leadership or authority that is telling them what to do; and when that leadership demonstrates that they are transparent, knowledgeable, and have substance beyond their demands.
On the other hand, people have a tendency to react negatively to being told what to do by people they think of as their equal or lesser when it comes to authority or knowledge, people who they perceive as having selfish motives, people who seem condescending- In fact many times when people are told what to do, it can result in anger, frustration, humiliation; all feelings that make it less likely for that person to do what they’ve been asked than they would have been on their own!
It is also very difficult for us to be given directions or told what we are doing when we have not being doing the ‘right’ thing (or are struggling to manage on our own). This may be called ‘constructive critique’, but most of us find it hard to be either the receiver or the giver of that type of feedback. Again, when we most need help being told what we should do, it seems to hurt the most.
If you are going to be in a role as a leader or as an employee, it is worth your time to spend a bit of energy learning more about initiative, similar as it is to learning more about motivation. Understanding more about initiative helps you learn more a lot more about yourself, be more aware of your own behaviors and habits, and also how to be a better leader of others.
Check out this interview with Thea Mullis (Travel) and Justin Rivera (Unit Leader): https://summitcamppa-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/techteam_summitcamp_com/EWw68gvWmIZPuRnBDDx-P1IBBdiPpm30seo0pZ60kw5nfA?e=lVdpL8
Some posts to read:
9 Ways to take more initiative at work: https://www.fastcompany.com/3037092/9-ways-to-take-more-initiative-at-work
Don’t tell me what to do! The difference between emotional and informational support: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/love-cycles-fear-cycles/201807/don-t-tell-me-what-do
Why we hate people telling us what to do: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conscious-communication/201906/why-we-hate-people-telling-us-what-do
(FOUL LANGUAGE and SENSITIVE TOPICS WARNING- ONLY READ THIS IF YOU DO NOT MIND BEING PROVOKED!) You’re not going to believe what Im about to tell you: https://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
